The Three Doctors
by ThistleThorne
Summary: Quantum LeapDr. Who crossover. Sam Beckett comes home with the help of another time traveller. completed
1. Author's Note and Part One of the story

Author's note  
  
A few things about my views of QL  
  
1 – The last season of QL did NOT happen! Sam didn't leap in Lee Harvey Oswald or Dr. Ruth or Elvis! He didn't meet Marilyn Monroe. Okay, maybe Killing Time happened – the thought of Al dangerous and dressed all in black…. heavy sigh I'm a sucker for the dangerous type.  
  
2 – Mirror Image DEFINITELY did not happen!  
  
3 – Sam is NOT married to Donna. She married the guy she was engaged to before she met Sam. I liked the original Donna. The second one made my skin crawl – I hated the fact that she was ready to abandon Al in the past (not to mention that I think that actress was terrible).  
  
4 – Al is not married to Beth. She still ended up marrying Dirk.  
  
5 – I believe that it is Sam's soul/psyche/spirit/ka traveling thru time, not his body. Otherwise, how do you explain that body fitting into the cloths that he does. I'm sure Sam doesn't have the same curves as Samantha, for example.  
  
Don't forget to send me feedback. I hope that you enjoy!  
  
*****  
  
*****  
  
THE THREE DOCTORS  
  
BY THISTLETHORNE  
  
"Welcome aboard, Peri," the Doctor said, a resigned look on his face as he held onto the control counsel to keep from falling onto the floor of the TARDIS control room.  
  
Just when things looked like they were going to get better, that was when they always seemed to fall apart. The destruction of the Master, or at least he thought the Master had been destroyed, had hurt. Yes, the Master had been trying to kill him for longer than he cared to remember, but the death of any individual always saddened him. And he had seen so much death through the long years of his life. Too much death, actually, and now he had been hoping for some quiet time to get to know the newest of his companions better and get over the leave-taking of Turlough.  
  
Turlough. He had been a very disturbed young man when he had first joined the Doctor. Of course, he had also been trying to kill the Doctor for the Black Guardian and that in itself would cause anyone to be disturbed. He had just left the Doctor's company to go back to his home world. The Doctor remembered how they had first met, looking over the control counsel he now held onto to firmly, both with startled expressions on their faces. He had figured out rather quickly that Turlough wasn't what he had seemed to be--a young English schoolboy just wouldn't have the knowledge Turlough had had. He had been a pawn in a game bigger than he had realized, and when it came down to the final moments of the game, the Doctor had trusted Turlough with his life. The trust had been well-given. He just hoped that Turlough would be happy back on Trion.  
  
With a familiar grinding sound, the TARDIS materialized in a room that was filled with computer equipment. The door opened and the Doctor stepped out, followed by his young companion. He was dressed in old fashioned English cricketing clothes with a stalk of celery on his lapel. He had a youthful face, blond hair, and blue eyes that reflected more age than his form. The young girl, dressed in pink shorts and an open necked top, looked around apprehensively, dark eyes darting from side to side as if expecting someone (or something) to leap out at them. It hadn't taken her long to figure out that trouble seemed to follow the Doctor.  
  
"Where are we, Doctor?" she asked him.  
  
The Doctor turned to her, looking at her over the pair of half-glasses that he had put on to examine the table more closely. "Earth, but I'm not quite sure where and when, Peri. I hadn't planned on this little side-trip. Sometimes the TARDIS just has a mind of her own. We'll just take a small look around and then we'll be off." He bent down to look at the table in front of him at a different angle. "Now I wonder what this is used for?" The Doctor's greatest weakness was an insatiable curiosity that had, on too many occasions to count, gotten him into trouble.  
  
"Can you at least take a guess as to when?" Peri asked him, more interested in the where and when than the what.  
  
"Around the late 20th-early 21st century, I should think." The Doctor bent down to look at the computer again. "Interesting. It seems that this is some sort of rudimentary time machine yet I can't quite seem to figure out how people are supposed to travel using it." The Doctor stuck his hand on the top of the table to balance himself as he began poking inside what appeared to be some sort of control panel. Without warning a blue beam of light came from the ceiling and connected on the Doctor's hand.  
  
"Doctor," Peri called out, "What's that?"  
  
The Doctor looked at the origin point of the light, studying it carefully, but not removing his hand from the beam. "A primitive form of identification, I would think," he answered her. "And it probably means that we're going to have company in a few moments."  
  
"That's right, you are," a gravely voice said from behind them. They whirled to face the voice. In the open doorway stood a rather short man with dark, curly hair and an expression on his face that said he would brook no arguments. Beside him stood a man in a navel uniform and just outside the door stood another man. They both wore guns at their sides but had not drawn them. The man who had spoken to them was holding a smoldering cigar in one hand and his gun was drawn and he had it pointed at the Doctor.  
  
"What do we do now, Doctor?" Peri's voice was rising in apprehension.  
  
"Surrender," he answered her with a sigh, raising his hands and motioning to her to do so as well. The Doctor faced the smaller man squarely. "Would you mind putting that down? I really don't like guns and we are unarmed." His tone of voice brought a hint of a smile to the face of the man in front of them but the gun didn't move, even as he motioned to the guard next to him to search them for concealed weapons. "Oh, well, in that case, can we at least put our arms down? They are getting rather tired, you know."  
  
A small nod of the head was the only answer they got, and as they lowered their hands, he gestured towards the door with his gun and they obediently went where he directed them. He steered then towards a room that appeared to be an office. He left them there and they heard the door lock on the other side after he left.  
  
Peri was looking around the office. She stood behind one of the desks looking at a row of pictures. One had the man who had just left them with another man, younger than himself, who had a distinctive streak of silver hair falling into one eye. They were both smiling at the camera. Another frame held the cover of Time Magazine and showed the second man again with the words 'The Next Einstein -- Doctor Samuel Beckett' along the bottom. A third showed the first man in a naval uniform along with several other military men who had similar insignia on their uniforms although the uniforms belonged to military organizations of different countries.  
  
"Doctor, look at these," Peri told him, pointing at the pictures. The Doctor wandered over to stand behind Peri to look at the pictures. He dismissed the first two after a quick perusal. The third held his attention.  
  
"Well, I'll be," he murmured to himself.  
  
"Do you know who he is, Doctor?" she asked him.  
  
"No," he answered her, "but I do know someone who does." The Doctor pointed to one of the men in the picture. "That's Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stweart and this appears to be a picture of the different heads of U.N.I.T."  
  
"U.N.I.T.?" Peri had never heard of the organization.  
  
"I used to be a scientific advisor for the British division," The Doctor said, ignoring her question. "Well, well, well, this is interesting." The Doctor put the picture back in its place and wandered back to the other side of the desk and pulled up a chair.  
  
"You might as well get comfortable, Peri," the Doctor said, trying to get comfortable in a chair that was not designed for comfort. "We are probably going to be here for awhile." The Doctor promptly closed his eyes and appeared to go to sleep. Peri just shook her head and made herself comfortable on the small couch that was in the office, after she had put a pile of folders and computer discs that had been on it on the floor.  
  
*****  
  
Unknown to Peri (but known to the Doctor who had seen the well-hidden camera) their entire conversation had been listened to by the people in charge of the complex. The man who had found them turned to the woman standing next to him. "Whoever he is, he's talking about things he shouldn't. I'm going to call Lethbridge-Stewart and find out if his story's true. I can't believe the Brit branch would have hired someone like him; not with all the problems that seem to happen on that side of the Atlantic. Has Security found out how they got in the complex?"  
  
Although she wasn't involved in the security aspects of the operation, the woman did know almost everything that went on, as did the man beside her. "No, and they're throwing fits right now trying to figure it out." Both turned when they heard the door open behind them. Two security men came in.  
  
"Admiral," one of them started, "you are not going to believe what we found in the room next to the Control Room." He looked at his partner who just shrugged. He didn't want to try to explain what they had found. Taking a deep breath, the first security guard continued, "It looks like an old English police call box, the kind that was used in the 1960's. We tried to open it to see if there was anything in it, but the door was locked. What do you want us to do with it?"  
  
"Move it into the Control Room for now," he answered quietly. "Has anyone found out how those two got past Security and Ziggy?"  
  
"No, sir," the second man answered. "Security can't find a breach in the perimeter and Ziggy's sulking again. She won't tell us anything."  
  
"Great, just great. I'm going to kill Sam for giving that thing an ego the size of the moon." The three people with him just smiled, having heard similar complaints from just about everyone at the Project at one time or another. "Dismissed."  
  
"Sir," they said in unison and turned to carry out his orders.  
  
The Admiral picked up the phone next to him and began dialing the long distance codes necessary to reach England. After what seemed a long time, he finally spoke into the receiver. "I would like to speak to Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart, if he's available, please." He paused and commented to the woman with him. "When he left U.N.I.T., Stewart started teaching at one of the English public schools. Seems to like it, too, and he was just named headmaster." He started when he heard a voice on the other end. "Hi, Stewart, this is Al Calavicci ... Yes, still working with Dr. Beckett ... Actually, I need your help. Someone has managed to break into the complex and I've no idea how. We were monitoring his conversation and he mentioned that he had been a scientific advisor with the British U.N.I.T.... Youngish, blond hair, wearing the weirdest cloths you ever saw... My cloths happen to be the height of fashion. Anyway, he also has a stick of celery on the lapel ... You know him?!" Al realized an eyebrow at the woman with him. "The Doctor? ... Doctor who? ... Very funny, Stewart ... Yeah, there is a blue police box here. … Would you happen to know the girl he's traveling with? ... No, she's American ... Okay, thanks Stewart. I owe you one."  
  
He turned back to the woman standing patiently in front of him as he hung up the phone. "It seems he is who he says he is, Verbena. I'm going to have a talk with our visitors. Stewart said things can get a little strange when he's around and that the box belongs to this ... Doctor. I want you to watch from here and if things get too strange, come and rescue me." Verbena nodded as the Admiral left the room.  
  
'And what exactly is strange, Al?' Verbena thought, remembering everything that they had seen since Sam stepped into the Accelerator prematurely. She turned back to the monitor just as Al entered the room.  
  
To be continued… 


	2. Part Two

Part Two…  
  
The Doctor immediately opened his eyes as the door swung open. Al entered, this time without the gun, and pulled up a chair and sat behind the desk. Peri had sat up from where she was and came to the Doctor's side when the door opened so they both were facing Al. Al looked at them, trying to figure out how much he could tell them. The Doctor saved him many minutes of anguished thought.  
  
"Whoever developed that time machine of yours is a genius. I would very much like to meet him. I take it that would be Dr. Beckett," he said, pointing to the Time Magazine cover. The Doctor hid a smile at Al's quickly masked astonished expression and continued. "However, there seems to be some problems with it. You don't seem to have any control of where the traveler is going and the program to bring the person traveling back to his own time doesn't seem to be working like it should. I could be wrong, after all, I didn't have much time to look at it, but it seems to be slightly off. If you like, I could fix it for you."  
  
Al jumped to his feet and leaned forward over the desk, eyes locking with the Doctor's. Words he had been hoping to hear from Gooshie for years, coming from a complete stranger, was not what he had expected. Stewart had warned him things would get weird, but this was unbelievable. And how had he figured out what was wrong after what could only have been a few minutes inspection time? "Just who exactly are you?" he demanded, his voice a very real threat. If this man though to intimidate Admiral Albert Calavicci, he had another thing coming.  
  
"Well, I'm generally known as the Doctor, as I'm sure the Brigadier told you," he answered, correctly guessing that Al had checked up on him. "And this is Perpugilliam Brown, otherwise known as Peri," He said as he pointed to the girl who smiled shyly. "And we really didn't mean to land here, but since we did, I though I might be able to help you out." The Doctor gave the Admiral on of those smiles that could (almost) win over a Dalek. It (almost) won over the Admiral.  
  
"How do you know so much about what's going on here?" Al asked. He was not, but nature, a very suspicious person, but life had taught him differently. Al was also very good at judging people and this young, innocent looking man was definitely not what he appeared to be. What had Stewart not told him?  
  
"Well, I did give your computer a quick look. Marvelous piece of machinery, by the way, and it seemed to have a small glitch in it." The Doctor smiled again, in a mysterious sort of way, it seemed to Al. "I do know a thing or two about time travel and machines that are temperamental." That made Peri chuckle. "Well I do," he said, turning to her with a hurt expression in his face. "It's not my fault that the TARDIS brought us here."  
  
"You said you were going to show me the most restful spot in the universe and instead you bring me back to my own planet." Peri had a disgusted look on her face. When she had asked the Doctor if she could travel with him, she had thought she was going to see the wonders of the universe. "I don't think you meant earth, Doctor."  
  
Al's eyebrows shot up at this. "You mean you're not from earth?! You sound English to me and I know she's an American."  
  
"I am," answered Peri. "I live in New York ... usually. The Doctor's from ... Where are you from, Doctor?" Peri asked, suddenly realizing she didn't know.  
  
"Somewhere else," the Doctor answered. Al looked puzzled at the short answer. "Now, would you like me to help you fix your computer, or do you want to stay here and argue all day?" The Doctor had stood to face Al and patiently waited for an answer, hands thrust in his pockets.  
  
The Doctor turned as the door behind him opened and Verbena walked in. 'Too late, Verbena' Al thought, 'Things got weird the minute I walked in the door.'  
  
The Doctor smiled at her and held out a hand. "Hello. I'm the Doctor," he said pleasantly.  
  
"Doctor of what?" Verbena asked him. She had been so stunned by what she was hearing that she had forgotten that Al had asked for a rescue.  
  
The Doctor smiled at the woman. "Practically everything," he said. Verbena smiled back, shaking her head at his imp-like behavior. She had been observing him quite closely and believed everything he had told the Admiral. Now all she had to do was convince Al that the Doctor could help.  
  
"All right, Doctor," said Al. "Let's just suppose for a minute that I believe what you're telling me. Do you really think you can fix Ziggy and bring Sam back to 2002?" Al had a worried expression on his face that he hadn't allowed the Doctor to see earlier. "We have to get him back soon, before he does something that he shouldn't."  
  
"We're in the year 2002?" Peri asked. She had a surprised expression on her face.  
  
"Of course," Al answered her. "What year did you think it was?"  
  
"I thought it was 1985. At least, that's what year it was when we left Sarn, wasn't it, Doctor?"  
  
"It was 1985 when we left earth. That lurch was the TARDIS being dragged into this year, and it shouldn't have happened." The Doctor turned to Al. "You'll have to forgive my young friend. She's not used to time travel yet."  
  
"Neither am I," Al said to himself, causing the Doctor to raise an amused eyebrow.  
  
"Who's Ziggy? And what do you mean 'before he does something he shouldn't?'" asked Peri remembering what they had been talking about before they got off on this tangent.  
  
"First question: Ziggy's our computer, or actually, she's Sam's computer. And be nice to her; she has an ego that won't quit and can be rather temperamental. Second: Sam's Leaped into a person who works at NASA. Unfortunately, he thinks he's there to stop the Challenger from exploding and he's not. We don't fix the big things. It could cause too much damage to time. He's there to help his host's daughter pass a big medical exam. He wants to stop the shuttle from going up and there's not much we can do to stop him from trying."  
  
The Doctor had an intent look on his face. "What do you mean by host? Isn't Dr. Beckett traveling though time physically?" At least he could not figure out why he was here. The Time Lords must have diverted the TARDIS to make sure the Web of Time was not disrupted by Dr. Beckett.  
  
"It's a bit complicated," Al answered. "Come with me, Doctor, I'll show you some of Sam's research. Perhaps you can figure out what he was trying to do before he Leaped. Have you ever heard of the string theory of time travel?" Al and the Doctor walked out the door, leaving Peri and Verbena looking after them; astonished expression on both their faces.  
  
"What does he man about he shuttle exploding?" Peri asked Verbena. Peri had seen one of the earliest launches of the shuttle and had really enjoyed it and thought it was one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen. The thought of one of the shuttles crashing was horrifying and she hoped that the Doctor would try to stop it from happening, no matter what the Admiral had said about not changing the big things.  
  
"I'll explain as we walk," she said. "I'll show you around a bit and then show you where you'll be staying while you're here." Peri followed Verbena out the door. "Most of the Project is controlled from these rooms," she told Peri as she led her into the Control Room. "What is that?" she asked before she could start explaining about the time travel experiment that had gone wrong and what they were trying to stop Sam from doing. Verbena looked at the TARDIS which now stood right next to Ziggy's main control panel. She looked around the room for Al or the Doctor and saw neither of them. "Al!" she called out, still looking at the police box. "That's strange," she said after waiting for an answer to her call that never came. "I assumed that he was bringing the Doctor here."  
  
Peri noticed that the door to the TARDIS had been left ajar. "He probably did," she told Verbena. "They're in the TARDIS." Verbena looked at the younger woman skeptically. "Honest," Peri answered the look. "Come on, I'll show you." She opened the door a little wider and gestured for Verbena to enter. The older woman gave her a look that said she was just humoring Peri. After Verbena entered, Peri started to chuckle, remembering how shocked she had been the first time she had realized the difference between the outside appearance of the TARDIS and the actual size inside.  
  
Verbena stood in the control room of the TARDIS looking around in sheer disbelief. "This isn't possible," she whispered. "She circled the control counsel, looking but not touching anything. If nothing else, she had learned to be extremely careful around strange equipment since Sam had brought her into the Project. Peri left her looking at the controls and went through the inner door, looking for the Doctor and Al.  
  
Verbena had just gotten up the courage to head for the inner door when Al, followed by a smiling Peri and Doctor, literally burst into the room. "'Bena, you are not going to believe this place." Al was practically bubbling and for a minute reminded her of Sam when he had solved a problem that had been bothering him. "There are more room back there than at the Pentagon. The Doctor also thinks he may have figured out a way to get Sam back, but he's going to have to talk to Sam." "Al, you remember what happened the last time Sam had to hear someone talk. I don't think we need to have the governor on our case again." Verbena was referring to the statewide power outage that had occurred when Sam had Leaped into a rape victim and he had needed to hear her for the trial.  
  
"I don't need to use your equipment for this," the Doctor cut into the conversation. "I'll go in my TARDIS."  
  
"Doctor, are you sure you'll be able to go where you want?" Peri asked him.  
  
"Of course, Peri." The Doctor looked hurt at the look of disbelief he saw on the face of his young companion. "When it's important, the TARDIS always knows where she' going." Peri's expression was one of total disbelief but she quickly masked it so that Verbena and Al couldn't see it. It would be no use if they had any doubts in the Doctor's abilities.  
  
"Come along, Admiral," the Doctor said, turning back to the main problem. "Show me when and where Dr. Beckett is and I'll see what I can do about getting him back."  
  
"I'll have to show you who he is as well, Doctor," Al was saying as he and the Doctor left the TARDIS. Peri just shrugged her shoulders and moved to follow them out.  
  
"The Doctor can control this thing, can't he?" Verbena asked Peri and the two of them left the TARDIS.  
  
"It seems to go where he wants it to, but Turlough told me it sometimes goes where it shouldn't. We weren't supposed to be here, for example." Peri looked thoughtful for a minute. "Don't worry; I'm sure the Doctor knows what he's doing." Verbena didn't look convinced, but let it pass.  
  
"Who is Turlough?" She asked, trying to change the subject to something a little less frightening.  
  
"He traveled with the Doctor before I did." The two were walking towards the complex's guest quarters while Peri told Verbena about her first trip in the TARDIS.  
  
Several hours later, Gooshie, Al and the Doctor, watched carefully by several computer technicians, Verbena and Peri, pressed on Ziggy's counsel and held their breath. After a moment or two, Ziggy's voice came over the speaker system. "New programming parameters will make it possible to retrieve Dr. Beckett. The retrieval program must be run at the exact moment that Dr. Beckett leaps out of Dr. David Grenig."  
  
Whatever else Ziggy might have said was lost in the cheering that came from everyone present. The Doctor smiled softly, but everyone else was practically screaming for joy. Al had tears in his eyes as he hugged Verbena and planted a rather enthusiastic kiss on her lips. For once, she didn't protest his advances.  
  
"We can get him back, 'Bena," Al shouted over and over. This was the happiest he had been in years. Although when he did get Sam back, he wasn't sure if he would hug him or knock him on his butt fro the stupid stunt he had pulled and the many grey hairs that he had given everyone at the Project.  
  
Only the Doctor's grin held a bit of reservation in it. Yes, he had fixed the computer, but they would have a problem if Sam Beckett started interfering with established history. He had been talking to Al and he knew that Sam wanted to change a major turning point in history and that just could not be allowed. Small things were okay, but what Sam planned was much too large. Dr. Beckett didn't realize it but he was in a position to do a lot of damage.  
  
Peri noticed the Doctor's pensive expression and moved to his side. "What's wrong, Doctor?"  
  
"From what the Admiral told me, quite a lot, Peri. I have to stop Dr. Beckett from doing something that he very much wants to do. It is also something that could spare a lot of people a lot of pain." The Doctor looked thoughtful. It seemed as if he was looking into himself to find the courage to go on.  
  
"If it will spare people pain, do you really think he should be stopped?" Peri looked at him carefully, weighing her words. "Dr. Beeks told me what happened in 1986. Don't you think you should let Dr. Beckett stop the explosion?"  
  
"Peri, that's one of the problems with time travel. Some things are just meant to be. If he changes history, it could disrupt the entire universe," the Doctor replied, shocked at what Peri had been suggesting. "Besides, the shuttle explosion ends up causing a lot of good in the long run." The Doctor glanced over at the celebrating crowd. "Tell the Admiral that I've gone to talk to Dr. Beckett about what's going on and that I'll be back when I'm back." The Doctor grabbed some of the computer printouts that were on the table and disappeared into the TARDIS, closing the door before Peri could follow him.  
  
The impromptu celebration was cut short by the grinding of the TARDIS leaving the complex. Although he had been told what it could do, Al hadn't really believed the Doctor until he saw the TARDIS dematerialize. He came dashing up to Peri. "Where's he going?"  
  
"Wherever and whenever Dr. Beckett is," she answered. "He said he'd be back when he's back, whatever that means." Peri was worried. Turlough had warned her that the Doctor always seemed to get into a lot of trouble and this seemed like it was going to be a good opportunity for him to do so.  
  
"Gooshie!" Al called out. "Get the Imaging Chamber fired up. I need to talk with Sam. Convincing him the Doctor's a friend is going to be a little difficult if the Doctor gets there before I do." Al punched a button on the counsel and a hand-link was produced from somewhere inside the table. Gooshie headed out the door into the control center, Peri following behind.  
  
The monitors in front of Gooshie began to light up as Al stepped through the door into the Imaging Chamber. Ziggy's voice came over the speaker. "Admiral Calavicci had made contact with Dr. Beckett." On one of the screens, Al appeared to be talking to no one. He was walking around, waving his arms, and occasionally stopping, as if to listen to someone.  
  
"What's happening?" Peri asked. The sight of Al yelling at thin air was rather amusing and she had the beginnings of a smile on her face. Her eyes never left the monitor that showed the Admiral. Gooshie noticed her fascination with the Admiral and had a knowing smile on his face. The Admiral was lucky that Tina had gone to visit her mother for two months.  
  
"The contact is done through holographic projections," Gooshie explained. "Dr. Beckett and the Admiral can see each other and the Admiral can also see the environment that Dr. Beckett is in. However, we can't see any of that and we can't hear what Dr. Beckett is saying. From the look of things, though, Dr. Beckett is not happy about what the Admiral is telling him."  
  
"But how can they see each other when no one else can?" Peri knew a little about holographic projections and this was unlike any that she had ever heard of.  
  
"Both the Admiral and Dr. Beckett have a neurological implant that links their brainwaves. The images that they're seeing are really projected right onto the optic and auditory nerves, so it's more like a telepathic link than a true hologram, but holograms are easier to explain to politicians." Gooshie pressed a button and Al's voice came in over the speaker.  
  
"...and you know you can't break you're own rules. You stop the shuttle and that's a major change in history. Just help the girl pass her med exam and then we'll Leap you home." Al paused, chewing on his cigar and looked disgusted at a blank wall. "We figured out your damned retrieval program. It will work, but only when you Leap." Another pause. "We had some help." Al's face lit up and he pointed with his cigar. "Him."  
  
Peri could imagine what was happening. The Doctor must have made his own appearance and was probably right now at this moment explaining to Dr. Beckett who he was, how he got there and that he could help. She wondered how Dr. Beckett was taking all of this.  
  
To be continued…. 


	3. Part Three

Part Three…  
  
"You mean you can travel through time physically and that you came here to help get me back to my own time?" Sam had a very skeptical look on his face and the grin on the Doctor's face, that was echoed by Al, was not helping matters any. "It's impossible. I looked into that type of travel and it isn't humanly possible, at least not with the technology available in the 20th century."  
  
"But I'm not human," the Doctor responded easily. "My people have been able to travel through time for millennia." The Doctor handed Sam the papers he had brought with him. "We worked out these equations and ran them through Ziggy. She agrees that this will get you back, but only when you next Leap, and only with the help of the temporal circuits in my TARDIS. That means you have to help this girl pass her exams so that we can implement it."  
  
"And stop the shuttle explosion," Sam added grimly. He was leafing through the equations and was impressed with the results. He nodded a few times at some things that he hadn't been able to figure out how to do and some things that he couldn't remember if he'd known. Sam looked up at the empty space next to the Doctor. Although the Doctor couldn't see or hear Al, he knew what he was probably saying. "I have to, Al."  
  
"The Admiral's right, you know." The Doctor had a sad expression on his face, remembering all the times that he had been unable to stop the death of someone he cared for. "You can't change this. It has happened and will happen, no matter what you do. Try to interfere and you will only make matters worse."  
  
"What do you mean?" Sam looked up, an angry expression forming on his face.  
  
"In this time, the shuttle explodes. Seven people are killed. If you stop it, research into new safety measures will never take place, or won't take place for several more years, and eventually, millions of people will be killed."  
  
"Millions?" Sam gasped, blanching white at the possible implications of his present actions.  
  
"I ran a program through the TARDIS to see what would happen if the shuttle had not gone up in two days. You don't want to know the entire story, believe me. But this much I will tell you." The Doctor's face was grim. "If the shuttle doesn't go up, within two centuries one of the most vicious races in the cosmos will have almost totally destroyed this planet. Those humans that aren't dead will be no better than slaves. Do you want to be responsible for that?"  
  
"No," Sam answered, his voice a ghost of a whisper. He fell into the chair behind him. "But I want so much to help." When Sam looked up at the Doctor again, his eyes were glassy.  
  
"I know," the Doctor said as he crouched in front of Sam, a similar expression on his own face. "That's part of the reason I left my home planet -- to help. But sometimes, there's nothing I can do and it hurts."  
  
The two men locked gazes, knowing their pain was a type few could understand. To know what was going to happen and to be unable to stop it was something that very few people had to endure. And Sam was sick and tired of having to endure it. Even the good he had been able to do didn't stop the hurt of not being able to help everyone.  
  
"All right, Doctor. I'll help Angela pass her exam and I won't try to warn NASA about the shuttle, and then I want you to yank me out of here as fast as you can. I lived through this once. I really don't want to do that again." Sam looked over the Doctor's shoulder. "Yes, Al, I remember being here when it happened."  
  
Fleeting memories really, but very vivid and painful. The surprise Al had promised. Cold wind whipping through the VIP stands. Talk of postponing the launch once again. The beauty of liftoff and the total disbelief of what happened a few seconds later. The brief, quickly quenched, selfish thought of 'Thank God Al's not in the program anymore.' Tears flowing unashamedly from Al's horror-filled eyes. Holding a complete stranger as she sobbed into his shoulder, his own tears finally falling. A night spent getting drunk with Al that didn't help either of them forget.  
  
He shook his head to clear the bad memories that had invaded. "There are some things that you can't forget, AL, no matter how much you want to. And, Doctor, what's a TARDIS?"  
  
"It's my space/time ship, which I will be glad to show you, when you get back to your own time. However, right now I have to go back," he said, standing. "We'll have everything ready for when you make your last Leap."  
  
"My last Leap," Sam repeated with a grin. "I was beginning to believe I'd never hear those words." Sam turned to the spot next to the Doctor. "See you soon, Al."  
  
*****  
  
"See ya soon, kid," Al said. As he punched a few buttons on the hand-link he was holding, several screens in front of Gooshie began to power down. Al turned to the observation window and gave the thumbs-up sign as he headed towards the door. It seemed the Doctor had convinced Sam not to try to stop the shuttle.  
  
CONTACT BETWEEN ADMIRAL CALAVICCI AND DR. BECKETT HAS BEEN TERMINATED, came Ziggy's voice, stating what was obvious to everyone present. The grinding of the TARDIS's arrival came from behind the control counsel. Peri watched as the door opened and a subdued Doctor came out of the TARDIS.  
  
"What's the matter, Doctor?" she asked him.  
  
"Hhhmmmmm? Oh, nothing, Peri," the Doctor answered her. "It's just that Dr. Beckett is a very dedicated man. I wonder if he'd like to travel with us for awhile. It could be a very interesting time and I'm sure he'd enjoy it."  
  
"NO! Sam is not going off with you when we get him back," a very irate Al said as he walked into the Control Room. "When we get him back, he is staying in one time like he's supposed to."  
  
"Very well, Admiral," the Doctor said with a smile. "It was just an idea. Shall we get to work?"  
  
*****  
  
The next thirty-six hours was spent in a flurry of activity. The Doctor, Gooshie and any number of computer experts, with Ziggy's help, stabilized the program that would bring Sam back to his own time. Peri watched from the sidelines occasionally, and tried to stay out of the way. Cables had been run from Ziggy into the TARDIS which would add the extra energy that was needed to pull Dr. Beckett back into his present and stabilize the time factor involved. The Doctor just hoped that the two vastly different computers would be able to work together without destroying each other.  
  
Peri spent a great deal of time with Verbena. They were planning the biggest party that Project Quantum Leap had ever seen. She also spent some time in the Waiting Room with David Grenig, the man who was Sam's host. He was pretty groggy most of the time, but Peri's presence seemed to calm him.  
  
Almost exactly thirty-six hours after the Doctor had met with Sam, everything was ready. Now all they had to do was wait for Angela's exam results to be known and then the real test would come.  
  
*****  
  
Al was in the Imaging Chamber in contact with Sam. He would let everyone know when Angela's exam results came through. Gooshie and the Doctor were in the Control Room, hands poised above the computer counsel, ready to start the retrieval program the minute Al let them know that Sam was Leaping. Almost everyone else was gathered right outside the Waiting Room. Hopefully, Sam Beckett would walk out of the room.  
  
Gooshie and the Doctor watched Al pacing back and forth, occasionally glancing at something beside him. Whatever the object was, it held his interest. He started and glanced up towards the control room. A few minutes later he shouted, "Now, Gooshie! Sam's Leaping!"  
  
Several panels in front of them went dark while others lit up. The Doctor and Gooshie made small changes as the program began running. "It's working," Gooshie whispered, almost to himself.  
  
"Of course, it's working," the Doctor answered with a smile on his face. He had seen Al run out of the Imaging Chamber, yelling for people to get out of his way as he headed for the Waiting Room. 'Those two must have a very special friendship,' the Doctor thought. 'I don't know many people who would stick by someone through all this.' The Doctor heard something explode inside the TARDIS just as the program completed its run and went inside to see what it was.  
  
Gooshie looked into the TARDIS as he pressed the intercom switch. "Did it work?" he asked into the mike, hoping that getting Dr. Beckett back had not stranded the Doctor on earth.  
  
*****  
  
The Doctor opened a panel near the floor of the control counsel. A puff of smoke came out as the door opened. The Doctor reached inside as he waved his other hand to clear the smoke and pulled out a broken vacuum tube. He reached in again and quickly pulled his hand out when he felt heat coming from where the circuit had been.  
  
"That shouldn't have happened," he murmured to himself as he poked around in the counsel for a little longer. He finally left the TARDIS when Gooshie poked his head in, dropped the vacuum tube in a nearby waste bin and headed towards the Waiting Room, Gooshie hurrying to catch up to him. Repairing the TARDIS could wait. He wanted to see if what they had done had really worked.  
  
To be continued… 


	4. Part Four

Part Four…  
  
Al burst into the Waiting Room, out of breath and very anxious about the outcome of the new programming. Verbena was standing just inside the door, watching Derek Peterson, the staff doctor. He had his hand on the wrist of the man who lay on the hospital bed and Peri stood looking over his shoulder. Verbena looked up as the door crashed open, the computer sensor barely opening the door fast enough for the Admiral's hurried entrance. "Not yet, Al," was all she said as she turned her attention back to Sam's motionless form.  
  
"Pulse rate is increasing." Derek looked over his shoulder at Peri. "Bring me the medical tray, please." Peri nodded and fetched the tray from the table on the far side of the room, giving Al an encouraging smile as she did so.  
  
"Any changes?" she asked as she put the tray down next to the young doctor. Derek just shook his head and picked up the stethoscope. "I hate waiting," Peri said to no one in particular.  
  
"So do I," Al answered her as he came over to the bedside and casually put his arm around her shoulders, but his attention was focused solely on the still form on the bed. He had seen so many different personalities in those green eyes over the past few years. He hoped that this time, he would see his friend back where he belonged.  
  
The eyes began to flutter as Gooshie's voice came over the intercom. "Did it work?" The eyes opened and looked up at the three worried faces that were looking down at him. For a moment, there was no recognition in the gaze, but things seemed to slowly come into focus and Al knew they had finally done it. Sam was home.  
  
"Al?" Sam's voice croaked as if from long disuse. Derek helped Sam sit up as Peri brought him a glass of water. After a sip, he tried again. "Al? Am I really home?" Al's whoop of delight could be heard throughout the entire complex.  
  
Al wrapped his arms around Sam as tears streamed down his face. To be able to touch Sam again after so long was wonderful. "Yeah, you're home, kid," was all Al was able to choke out of his tear constricted throat.  
  
Verbena spoke into the intercom located right next to the door. "Dr. Beckett is home," was her simple announcement. Those four words caused an avalanche of emotion to be released. Cheers sounded in the hallway as the news was spread to everyone. Gooshie and the Doctor had finally managed to fight their way through the crowd and were standing in the doorway watching the reunion.  
  
They had arrived just in time to hear Al yelling at Sam. "What kind of stupid stunt do you think you were pulling? You had no idea that that infernal contraption of yours would work! Do you have any idea of the amount of worry you caused me?! Caused all of us?"  
  
Sam lay still on the bed. He held up his hand to stop Al. "I know," he said softly. "And I'm sorry, Al, but I had to prove that it would work. They were ready to put an end to the Project and I was so close." He grinned at Al. "Besides, it's not like it was a total waste. It did work and things are a lot better for a lot of people."  
  
"Well, yeah," Al admitted grudgingly. "But you still shouldn't have done it." He pointed a finger at his friend. "And the next time you pull a stunt like that, I'm coming after you and dragging you back by the scruff of your neck, if I have to." Al and Sam both started to laugh at the picture that presented.  
  
And then Sam saw the Doctor standing in the doorway. He got shakily to his feet and managed to maneuver his way over to him. The quantum physicist and Time Lord locked eyes and smiled. Each had experienced time travel--in vastly different ways, of course--but it was a shared experience and it made them instantly friends.  
  
Then Sam started to fall. For too long, he hadn't inhabited this body and many of the people who had, had been too out of it to exercise. The Doctor caught Sam even as Al jumped forward to help and lowered him gently to the floor. "You'll have to take it easy for a while, Dr. Beckett," the Doctor told him. "It'll take some time for you to get used to being yourself again."  
  
"I just wanted to say thank you before you left and I'd hoped to do it on my feet." Sam sounded disgusted with his lack of control.  
  
"Don't worry, you will," the Doctor answered him. "I'm not going anywhere until I fix my TARDIS."  
  
"What happened to it, Doctor?" Peri chirped in from where she was standing, which happened to be just behind the Admiral.  
  
"I'm not sure, yet, but it will probably take some time to fix it." He turned to Verbena. "I do hope that you don't mind having a couple of uninvited house guests for a while longer."  
  
"Of course not, Doctor," Verbena answered him with a smile. She was already quite fond of the Doctor and hadn't really wanted to see him leave, at least not this soon. "Now, Dr. Beckett, Dr. Peterson wants to give you a full examination and then you are going to talk to me and get some bed-rest. Derek, I'll be down in a few minutes.  
  
Derek helped Sam into the wheelchair that had appeared and insisted on pushing it through the gauntlet of well wishers that lined the halls, although it was capable of moving on its own. Verbena heard Sam talking to Derek as they set off down the hall, Al walking along side the chair, telling the younger doctor all about his travels in time.  
  
*****  
  
"I've had enough, Verbena!" The Doctor could hear Sam's yell of indignation down the corridor. He and Peri had been here for three days and had learned their way around, but were still finding new corridors all the time. It was a bit like exploring the TARDIS. He strolled into the medical facility and saw Dr. Beckett on the examining table, Verbena and Al standing in the doorway, looking amused as Sam grouched about the examination he was receiving from Dr. Peterson.  
  
"What's the problem?" the Doctor asked Al quietly as Sam yelped at the coldness of the stethoscope that Derek had just lain on his bare back.  
  
Al held back a chuckle. "Peterson is trying to figure out why Sam's leg muscles don't seem to be working properly and he decided to give him a full physical at the same time. His legs are being as stubborn as he is."  
  
"Enough!" Sam was turning several shades of red. Derek backed off, needle still in hand. The only patient he had ever had who was worse than Sam Beckett was Al Calavicci. They reacted in totally different ways to examinations. Sam would put up with them to a point and the Admiral just tried to avoid them and then grumbled during the entire process. Of course, up until he had Leaped, Sam had been Al's physician.  
  
"But, Dr. Beckett..." Derek began.  
  
"But Dr. Beckett nothing. I have had enough. First I have to put up with you poking and prodding me like I'm some sort of high school science experiment, then Verbena starts on me, and then I'm subjected to endless questions about what I did on my Leaps by Wainwright and the damn Committee and I'm sick an tired of it." He turned to Al. "And you're not much help."  
  
"Me?!" Al managed to look indignant and innocent all at the same time.  
  
"Yes, you. You're constantly following me around. I'm not going to disappear again, Al. Trust me." His friend looked skeptical. "Honestly, Al, you're acting worse than a mother hen with one chick. If I Leap again, and that a very big if, I want to be able to come back right away. So until the retrieval program can run without the help of the Doctor's TARDIS, no more Leaping."  
  
"Well, all right, but if I see you even going anywhere near the Accelerator...." Al didn't finish his threat.  
  
Sam held up his hands in mock surrender and smiled. He hadn't known that Al had been so worried about him. And with all his memories of their times together returning, he understood the special friendship that they had re-developed during Sam's time travels. "Do you think you could get my wheel chair for me, Al?"  
  
"Sure, kid." Al pushed over a manual wheel chair, not the motorized one that Sam had been using. Al had a large grin on his face at Sam's shocked, and slightly angry, expression.  
  
"What happened to the other one?" he asked, arms crossed on his chest.  
  
"I had it impounded," Al told him, a no-nonsense look on his face that was at odds with the grin that could be seen just below the surface and was trying to make itself seen.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you were becoming a menace to everyone at the Project. People would hear that damn thing coming and flatten against the walls for fear of being run over. Besides, I was sick and tired of people telling me that traffic mirrors were needed at the corners. I was even considering putting up speed bumps so you wouldn't run anyone down or kill someone."  
  
"I never went that fast, Al," Sam said sheepishly. "And I had some help with the motor," he added, glancing at the Doctor who was still standing in the doorway, an innocent expression on his young face.  
  
"I should have known," Al sighed. "Put the two of you together and no one is safe." Al turned to the Doctor. "Please don't help Sam out anymore. We want him on his feet, not in that damned chair. If he can wheel around faster than he can walk..."  
  
"I'm sorry, Al," the Doctor said, sounding exactly like Sam, which brought smiles to the faces of Verbena and Derek. Al turned and watched Sam maneuver his way into the wheel chair. Sam gave it a test spin once he had settled and managed not to run into a wall when he gave it a harder push than he should have.  
  
"Doctor, have you had a proper tour of the facilities yet?" Sam asked as he wheeled towards the door. The Doctor shook his head and walked along side Sam. The two were talking about possible ways of making the retrieval program work as the headed down the hall.  
  
Al turned to Verbena. Derek was putting away his instruments, shoulders shaking with barely contained laughter. "How bad off is Sam?" Al asked her, finally letting his concern for his friend to show on his face.  
  
"Not as bad as you fear, Al. Don't worry. The synapses haven't all connected yet. It's happening, but slowly. He should have full motor control back within a few months, if he follows Derek's instructions and keeps going to his therapy sessions." Verbena handed Derek the instrument tray and Sam's medical charts and steered Al out of the medical lab. "I think having the Doctor here is helping. Sam's not thinking about his own problems."  
  
They had just caught up with Sam. The Doctor was nowhere to be seen and Al was not happy about where he found the scientist. Sam was entering the security code to enter the Accelerator Chamber. He had to stretch a bit to reach the control panel, but he was managing quite well. That was, he was until Al roughly pulled his chair back.  
  
"Hey! Al, what are you doing?" Sam looked up at the older man indignantly as he tried to resettle himself in the chair.  
  
"What am I doing?! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Al was more than a little mad. "You just got finished telling me that you weren't going in there again and where do I find you? Trying to get in! Have you gone completely mad?" Verbena beat a hasty retreat. She didn't want any part of the story argument that she could sense coming to a head.  
  
"I was just going to show the Doctor around." Al's expression told Sam that he wasn't being believed. "Come on, Al. Do you really believe that I would attempt to Leap now, while I'm in a wheel chair?"  
  
"Yes, I do." Al pulled the wheel chair further from the Accelerator and began pushing it towards the computer lab where Ziggy's main controls were. "Now why don't you stay in here and play with your computer like a good little boy?" Al said as he pushed Sam up to the main control counsel and then, with the hint of a mischievous smile, he patted Sam on the head and then had to dodge Sam's fist that swung out in his direction.  
  
Sam grumbled for a bit once Al had left, but soon turned to other matters. He was determined to get the retrieval program up and running without the Doctor's TARDIS. Perhaps he'd be able to persuade the Doctor to help, although he seemed more than a little reluctant about helping with the Project now that he had gotten Sam back into his own time.  
  
*****   
  
The Doctor and Sam Beckett ended up spending a great deal of time together during the next week. As the Doctor worked on the TARDIS, Sam told him of what he had done and his theory on time travel. He and the Doctor also discussed ways of making Quantum Leap a more reliable form of time travel, but neither thought it would work the way Sam had originally hoped. There seemed to be a random factor that was totally uncontrollable. The Doctor was also impressed with the questions that Sam asked about the TARDIS and was glad to have found someone who was more than eager to help in its repairs.  
  
On one trip to the lab where they were working, the Doctor was rather amused to find Al, helped by the ever-present Peri, putting a multi-level security lock on the Accelerator Chamber door. When the Doctor raised an inquisitive eyebrow, Al explained.  
  
"I saw Sam poking around in here again yesterday and I am not going to let him jump in the damn thing again. The only one who will be able to unlock this door will be me and I'm not going to open it for him." Al had a very determined look on his face which softened when he turned to Peri.  
  
It was then that the Doctor finally noticed that Peri was no longer wearing her shorts outfit that she had arrived in. He had vaguely remembered her saying that Al had taken her shopping the day of the welcome home party that had been planned for Dr. Beckett. She was wearing a mauve dress that had what was called a handkerchief cut hem and a heart shaped bodice with lights running along the neckline, something that was all the rage in this decade. She was wearing matching ankle boots that had lights in the heels and along the top. It looked a bit like the outfit Nyssa had worn for awhile, but showed a lot more shoulder than Nyssa ever had. Not practical for TARDIS travel, but definitely something quite popular on Earth.  
  
Al's voice brought the Doctor's attention back to what was happening in front of him. "Now, I promised you a tour of the local area. If I may?" Al said, gallantly extending his arm to Peri and putting on his most winning smile. Peri returned the smile, took Al's arm, and they headed towards the exit and Al's car.  
  
To be continued… 


	5. Part Five

Part Five…  
  
The Doctor was still shaking his head when he arrived in the lab. As he entered the TARDIS he almost tripped over Sam's wheelchair since his mind was not on what he was doing, and he was not used to the control room being cluttered with things. "Sorry about that, Doctor," Sam's voice was muffled, coming from under the counsel. The Doctor joined Sam on the floor.  
  
"Did that new vacuum tube work?" the Doctor asked him as he poked his head into the opening.  
  
"Nope, just like all the others. Fine for a moment then BOOM." Sam was pulling out the remnants of another tube and dropped it into a container that was right at hand. It was nearly full of broken tubes. Sam had safety glasses hanging by the strap around his neck.  
  
"Sam, I need to ask you something." Sam say up, bracing himself against the counsel as he pulled the glasses from around his neck and hung them on a protuberance on the counsel. The Doctor sounded very concerned about something.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"It's about Admiral Calavicci. I just saw him with Peri. He said he was taking her out for a tour and I've noticed the way he is around women and I was wondering..." The Doctor trailed off. He couldn't remember ever having this type of conversation about one of his traveling companions before and he was at a loss as to how to voice his concerns.  
  
"And you were wondering how safe she is with him?" Sam completed the question that he had been expecting ever since he had seen Peri in the latest outfit that Al had given her. It she hadn't already been smitten with the Admiral, Sam might even have asked her out, but she had eyes only for Al. The Doctor nodded. "Don't worry. Al's a perfect gentleman. He may act slimy sometimes, but he really does respect women. The direction and type of relationship will be entirely up to Peri."  
  
Sam was pushing himself up from the floor and had braced himself against the counsel, being careful not to touch any of the instrumentation. He didn't know what half of them did, and the other half he wasn't completely sure about. The Doctor wheeled the chair over to Sam and helped him into it. Sam's upper body motor control had fully returned and the leg muscles were coming along much faster than Dr. Peterson had expected. Two two-hour therapy sessions a day were helping and Sam was a very dedicated patient. The fact that Sam Beckett hated to be confined in any way helped his progress more than anything else.  
  
The two left the TARDIS as Sam headed towards the gym and another therapy session. Yesterday, he had actually managed a few steps with the help of a pair of canes and he was eager to see how many he would be able to manage today. "Al may seem like a real womanizer and God only knows how many times he would get me upset mentioning one woman or another when he was in contact with me on one of my Leaps, but I think that was mainly to keep me distracted when I was really upset about something or to lighten my mood. For the most part, I think, he's been pretty much a one woman man since Tina showed up, but that doesn't stop him from looking." Sam looked up at the Doctor as they rounded another corner. He still had a thoughtful, slightly worried expression on his face. "If it bothers you that much I could always talk to him about it."  
  
"No, I don't think that will be necessary," the Doctor answered as they walked through the doors to the gym. "I just hope Peri isn't taking him too seriously, unless she plans on staying here once the TARDIS is completely repaired." The Doctor sat on one of the benches that were situated around the gym floor as Jason, Sam's physical therapist, joined them.  
  
"Don't worry about that, Doctor. I overheard the two of them talking, and she really doesn't want to stay here. She told Al that there's too much she hasn't seen yet."  
  
"All set, Dr. Beckett?" Jason asked, handing Sam the crutches. Sam just smiled and adjusted the crutches in his hands and pushed himself forward until he was standing.  
  
"Let's do it," he answered. The Doctor watched the dedicated man as he maneuvered his way awkwardly on the crutches. Sam gave 110% on everything he did: first on his Leaps, now on his therapy as well as his invaluable help with the TARDIS. It was a definite shame that Al was so dead set against Sam traveling for a while with him. 'Maybe if I invited the Admiral to come along as well?' the Doctor mused to himself. But he didn't really think Al would enjoy traveling in the TARDIS. The few times that Lethbridge-Stewart had been a definite problem and one he did not want to repeat if at all possible.  
  
*****  
  
"Al, this is absolutely fantastic!" Peri told him as they sped along the open desert. She was fascinated by the many gadgets that Al had had specially installed in his car. She also like the speed that the car was able to achieve and she didn't have to worry about getting lost in it. It even included a built in computerized holographic map.  
  
"Yeah, a real kick in the butt, ain't it?" Al answered with a grin on his face. He punched a few buttons that showed what was to him a very familiar route. "How would you like to spend the weekend in Vegas, Peri?" he asked her, showing the route to her. She gave him a look that asked what he was up to. "I promise, separate rooms if you want. What do you say?"  
  
"What about cloths?" Peri asked, the practical side of her nature showing.  
  
"No problemmo, kiddo. I have an overnight bag in the back and we can always go shopping when we get there. I know this really nice place that will have some stuff you'll just love," he answered her, grinning mischievously. "Well?"  
  
"Where's the phone so I can tell the Doctor what I'm up to, and you should tell Dr. Beckett." Al punched a few buttons and Gooshie's voice came over the speaker.  
  
"Control. Is that you Admiral?" the programmer asked.  
  
"Yeah, Gooshie. Do me a favor. The next time you see Sam and the Doctor, tell them Peri and I are spending the weekend in Vegas and that we'll see them sometime Monday, probably around mid-morning." he told him, grinning at Peri the entire time.  
  
"Oh, of course, Admiral, and then how do I stop either one or both of them from coming after you. They're both starting to sound like overprotective uncles." The voice sounded amused.  
  
Peri spoke up. "Tell them it was my idea. That should take care of it." She returned Al's grin. Two could play this game.  
  
"Peri, I really don't think they'll believe that," Gooshie said, "but I'll tell them. Have a good time." And with that the contact was broken. Al checked to make sure Peri's seatbelt was buckled securely then put his foot down hard on the accelerator. The car leapt forward with almost as much speed as Sam had Leaped through time.  
  
To be continued… 


	6. Part Six

Part Six…  
  
"What do you mean they've gone to Vegas for the weekend?" Sam was livid. How could Al have done this? They had a large reception this weekend and all the committee members and other selected guests were going to be arriving soon and they were expecting to see the Admiral as well as himself.  
  
Gooshie just shrugged his shoulders. "Peri said it was her idea."  
  
"Hah!" was Sam's response. "I know Al better than that. I'm positive it was all his idea. He hates these things and this is just a way for him to get out of it." Although it wasn't the easiest thing to do, Sam was actually pacing in the small office in his wheelchair. Back and forth over the same spot and Gooshie was beginning to wonder how long it would take for grooves to form in the tile from the repeated movement over the same spot. "Get him back, Gooshie. I don't care how you do it, just get him back here."  
  
"Dr. Beckett, you don't even know what hotel they'll be staying at, and besides, it would do him a world of good. He hasn't had a real vacation since you first started Leaping."  
  
"He told me he went on weekends to Vegas all the time while I was Leaping," Sam countered, a suspicious look on his face. He nodded to the Doctor who had just walked into the office.  
  
"The Admiral hardly ever left the Project once we realized that we weren't able to retrieve you, Dr. Beckett. No matter how hard she tried, neither Dr. Beeks nor Peterson could get him to go away for more than 24 hours at a time." Sam looked surprised. He hadn't realized how much Al had given up when he was Leaping through time.  
  
"All those weekends he talked about; all the different women..."  
  
"Were just something to make you think that he hadn't given up on his own life," was the quiet response. "Well, almost all of them, anyway. There were a few...." Gooshie smiled, thinking of some of the women who had spent more than a weekend with the Admiral.  
  
The Doctor spoke up from where he was now sitting. "It would also be good for Peri. She's been cooped up here for quite a while and when we are traveling, there is always a good chance that we may land in a dangerous situation. And you said that she's safe with Al. Let them have their weekend, Dr. Beckett." The Doctor picked up one of the many scientific journals that Sam had littered around the office he shared with Al and began to casually leaf through it.  
  
Sam just looked at the two different men disgustedly. The problem was that he hated official receptions as much as Al did and he was wishing that he had come up with the idea to abscond from the complex first. "Oh, all right, Gooshie. Al can have his weekend, but when he gets back there is going to be hell to pay for this."  
  
"Of course, Dr. Beckett," Gooshie said, quickly exiting the room. He was very glad that the Doctor had shown up when he did and that he had gotten out of something he didn't want to do. Besides, he never again wanted to disturb one of the Admiral's weekends.  
  
Once Gooshie had left the office, Sam turned to confront the Doctor who was casually reading an article that seemed to have caught his attention. "Less than three hours ago you were worried about Peri and Al being together and now you don't seem to be worried in the least. What made you change your mind about him?"  
  
"You did, Sam, remember?" the Doctor answered, lying the journal on the table next to him. "And I also talked to Verbena about Al and she told me essentially the same thing you did. There's a lot hidden beneath the exterior of your friend. I was just going over some of the observations he had written down about your travels and how much some of the things you had to do hurt him."  
  
"You mean Beth," Sam whispered, looking down. That had to have been one of the hardest things he had ever done. And he was ashamed to admit, probably one of the most selfish. He knew that if Al and Beth had been together, his and Al's friendship may never have developed in the way it had. Might never have been at all.  
  
"Actually, no, not that at all. He understood why you did that, probably more than you realize," the Doctor answered, not willing to allow Sam to wallow is self pity. "I was thinking more about the times when you had to take someone's life. That is the worst think any individual can ever have to do. I've had to face that decision more times than you can possible imagine and it is not something that I ever want to do again, but I know that I probably will." The Doctor looked inward to see the many beings that he had seen die, and the deaths that he considered to be his fault.  
  
"Sam, many years ago, I was sent back in time by my own people to stop one of the most evil races in the universe from being developed. They are called Daleks and I hope you never have to face them. The man who created them programmed them without emotion, totally ruthless. The only thing they are programmed for is destruction; the total annihilation of the human race. With one move, I could have stopped then; made it so that they never existed and saved millions of lives. And I couldn't do it. I could not commit genocide. Quite recently, I was face to face with their creator again. I could have killed him, but I didn't, and I don't think there is any creature in the entire universe that deserves death more than Davros, but I couldn't be judge, jury and executioner. Yes, I have killed in the past, and I will probably do so in the future, but that doesn't stop me from wishing that I never have to."  
  
The Doctor looked up at Sam who had remained silent throughout his speech and saw the same hurt in his eyes that he knew was showing in his. "I remember the first time I killed someone," Sam said softly. "I had Leaped into a police detective on his honeymoon. His wife had divorced her first husband and the bastard wanted her back. He nearly killed me, but instead I killed him. I looked him straight in the eyes as he died and he told me that it would be easier the next time." Sam returned the Doctor's direct gaze. "And, God help me, he was right. Each time I had to kill, it got a little easier. And that makes me sick to my stomach."  
  
Tears had begun to form at the corners of Sam's eyes. This was something he had now allowed himself to do before, and it had been worrying Verbena Beeks. So much so, in fact, that she had talked to the Doctor and Al about it. The Doctor sat silently, hoping Sam would allow all of the grief to flow and not bottle it up. "Doctor, how do you live with it? How do you..." Sam's tears were flowing freely and he tried to choke back the sobs that were forcing their way through is constricted throat. "Damn..."  
  
"I live with it because I must," the Doctor answered softly, coming over to crouch next to Sam's chair. "Any person who has had to kill must. You can either hold it in and let it eventually kill your emotions or you can grieve for those you have killed, even your enemies, and then live on. I think you've chosen the correct path, Sam."  
  
The Doctor stayed next to Sam as he grieved for all the people he had killed in his Leaping, remembering each face and the circumstances behind their deaths. As he did so, Sam realized that each death had been to save another individual or to save his own life. Never once had he taken a life for the sake of killing and the realization helped. When the grief began to lessen, the Doctor reached for the box of tissues that he had seen on the desk and handed it to Sam. After a moment, Sam regained his composure and smiled at the Doctor.  
  
"How many times have you gone through this, Doctor?" he asked, his voice sounding slightly constricted still. He pushed his way into the bathroom that was attached to the office to wash his face as the Doctor answered.  
  
"Too often and not often enough, Sam," was the quick reply. He heard the water splashing and spoke a little louder so that Sam could hear him. "You may want to speak to Dr. Beeks about this, Sam. She's been worried about you."  
  
"Yeah, I know," Sam said as he wheeled back into the office. His eyes were still glassy and red, but he looked a lot less tense than he had ten minutes earlier. "She's been trying to get me to open up ever since I got back. I just couldn't talk to her about it, but I will let her know that I think I got it all out of my system. I probably would have broken down with Al, had he been here. Thanks for substituting for him, Doctor."  
  
"My pleasure, Sam." The Doctor got up and moved to leave the office. "I received the last of the vacuum tubes yesterday and I want to try them in the TARDIS. I would like it if you would lend me a hand with the tests."  
  
"I'll be with you in a bit, Doctor," Sam replied. "I have a few things left to do here and then I'm going to talk with Verbena. But as soon as I can, I'll come to the lab." Sam watched as the Doctor closed the door behind him and than turned back to him computer keyboard. He finished the last paragraph on the report he was working on, hit the save button and then turned the computer off.  
  
Before he left, he looked at the pictures he had displayed behind his desk, focusing on two of the pictures. Both had Al in them, but they were vastly different and he now realized why they were so different. The first was a copy of the one that had been on the mantle of Beth's house. The first, a photo of a young Al who had not yet seen war; who had not spent years as a prisoner of the VC. The second picture was of him and Al at the Starbright Project. This Al had more lines in his face and an almost haunted look in the eyes that had slowly lessened over the years that Sam had known him. Sam had once asked him what had caused the change and Al had refused to answer. 'I know what changed you now, Al,' he said to himself, 'because the same thing has caused me to change as well. I wouldn't wish this on anyone, Al.' And with that, Sam left his office in search of Verbena. He had a lot to talk to her about before he joined the Doctor.  
  
*****  
  
Sam stopped his wheelchair just outside the doors to the reception room. Derek had allowed him the use of the motorized one with his promise to keep the speed below Mach 3. Sam had readily agreed, not wanting the committee and the other VIP's to see him pushing himself about. But now, he was having second thoughts about the whole thing. He really wanted Al to be at his side for this and had started to think up numerous painful ways of getting back at the Admiral for running to Vegas for the weekend with Peri. He took a deep breath and headed through the doors, which obediently slid aside as he approached.  
  
The sight that greeted him was unexpected. When the doors closed behind him, everyone in the room got to their feet and began applauding. Sam blushed to the roots of his auburn hair, smiled, and glanced down into his lap. He hated this kind of thing but he knew he had to put up with it. 'Well if I survived receiving the Nobel, I can certainly survive this,' he thought as he worked his way forward, nodding to people he recognized. Verbena gave him an encouraging grin as he passed by and just the knowledge that his co-workers were here to support him helped. He had tried to talk the Doctor into attending, but he had declined quite firmly, stating that this evening was for Sam Beckett and not him.  
  
It was then that Sam noticed a woman coming forward to greet him. He did a double take as he recognized her from the committee meetings he had attended before he Leaped, and that had seemed rather fuzzy until now, and from the time he had been with her, helping her to study for the bar. Senator Diane McBride held out her hand to him. "Hello again, Dr. Beckett," she said, her voice sounding pleasant and friendly. "It's good to see you back with us again. I hope that you physical condition is temporary."  
  
"Yes, it is, Senator," Sam answered as he shook her hand. "I want to personally thank you for your support of the Project. It couldn't have happened without you."  
  
"It was a pleasure, Dr. Beckett," she answered. Her face grew pensive for a moment. "You know, it is strange, but I seem to have the name 'Samuel Beckett' showing up in my life quite a bit." She smiled at what had to be a fond memory.  
  
Sam blanched. He had a good guess as to what was running through her mind and he briefly wondered how much her husband remembered of the time, but could think of no way to ask that wouldn't arouse her suspicions.  
  
The Senator picked up two glasses of wine from a passing waiter and handed one to Sam. "To time travel, Dr. Beckett, and dreams fulfilled. They clinked glasses and took a sip. Someone across the room was beckoning to the Senator and she waved the person over to join them. "I hope you don't mind, Doctor, but I asked a member of the international press to accompany me on this trip. She's quite a fan of yours and is doing a series of human interest articles for the 'London Times.'"  
  
A woman with dark hair that was just touched with grey came up along side the senator and smiled at Sam, holding out her hand. "Hello, Dr. Beckett, my name is Sarah Jane Smith. I've read your theory on time travel and I find it extremely interesting."  
  
"If you'll both excuse me," broke in Senator McBride, "I should mingle with the rest of the guests." She headed across the room, leaving the scientist on his own.  
  
"Do you really believe that time travel is possible, Doctor?" the reporter asked Sam, sitting herself down on a chair next to him. Sam was relieved to see that she didn't pull out a pad to take notes or turn on a recorder.  
  
"No notes on the interview?" he asked her.  
  
"No notes. This is purely to satisfy my own curiosity," she answered with a ready smile. "Unless, of course, you want me to report on this?"  
  
"No," Sam answered almost before she got the words out of her mouth. His quick response caused Sarah to smile. "Well, then, where to begin? You do know about my string theory, I assume?"  
  
"Yes, and your idea that a person can only travel within their own lifetime." Sarah looked thoughtful, eyes focused on a faraway memory. "But what if someone could travel outside their own time? Do you think that would work? Or that it's even possible?"  
  
"Theoretically, it should be possible," Sam answered her slowly, thinking of the Doctor and his TARDIS. "However, we don't have the technology to make it a reality."  
  
"And if the technology were available?" she prompted him.  
  
"I'd be going on the next trip through time," he answered her. In fact, he had been thinking of asking the Doctor to take him on a small trip back in time. He very much wanted to meet Einstein and ask him a few questions.  
  
"So would I, Dr. Becket, so would I," she said, her voice almost sounding wistful. She looked across the room and noticed that Senator McBride was beckoning to her. "Dr. Beckett, I would like to talk to you more on this later, if it wouldn't be an inconvenience."  
  
"No inconvenience at all, Ms. Smith. In fact, would you like to spend a few days here at the Project? I could show you around and explain what I'm trying to accomplish." Sam had decided that he really liked this reporter. She wasn't at all like some he had encountered, or been. "I enjoy talking to someone who actually has thought about what I'm doing." Sarah nodded and smiled. "Good. I'll arrange for you to have guest quarters here. Until later?" They shook hands and he watched her walk across the room to join the Senator and other dignitaries. 'A very interesting woman,' he thought. 'I wonder if she'd like to meet the Doctor?'  
  
It was then that he noticed that Derek had come up behind him. "What is it, Derek?"  
  
"The Doctor asked me to find you, Sam," the young doctor said, his voice pitched to reach Sam's ears alone. "He wondered if you would like to escape from all this?"  
  
"Problems with the TARDIS?" Sam asked in the same tone that Derek was using. Derek nodded. "Make some sort of excuse for me, Derek, and if someone really needs me, you'll know where I am, but please, only for a real emergency." Sam started to wheel his way towards the doors when he remembered something. "Derek, could you get in contact with Security and let them know that Ms. Sarah Jane Smith will be staying here a few days. Have them get her a security pass as well as quarters here at the Project." Derek nodded and left with Sam, turning in the opposite direction as the doors closed behind them. Without one look back at the party, Sam headed towards the Control Room and something that he knew was a lot more interesting and important than impressing a bunch of politicians.  
  
To be continued… 


	7. Part Seven

Part Seven…  
  
"Sam, could you try the time mechanism, please," the Doctor's voice came from underneath the counsel. He and Sam had been working non-stop on the TARDIS since Sam had arrived in Control the night before and they were getting more than a little frustrated. The Doctor had been working 24 hours straight and Sam just a little shorter time. His escape from the reception had gone unnoticed by everyone and he had joined the Doctor in his repair work. Unfortunately, they were down to the last vacuum tube and it didn't look like this one was going to work any better than any of the others had.  
  
"It's starting now, Doctor." Sam pressed the sequence that the Doctor had shown him. "How's that?"  
  
"So far so....damn." The Doctor sounded frustrated. "This one just cracked. I'm afraid there's nothing on Earth that's going to work, Sam. I'm going to have to put in a temporary replacement and then go off Earth for the correct component." The Doctor threw the latest broken tube into the waste receptacle and brushed himself off.  
  
"I have some specialized equipment in the Accelerator Chamber that may do for a stop gap, Doctor," Sam told him, wheeling towards the door. Derek had arrived sometime during the night and replaced the motorized chair with the manual one without a single protest from Sam, who actually preferred it now that he had gotten used to it.  
  
"I saw the Admiral putting a lock on the doors to the Chamber, Sam, and he said something about it being a lock that only he knew the codes to." The Doctor looked thoughtful for a moment. "Although, I could probably break the code given enough time."  
  
"Not necessary, Doctor," Sam answered, a smug expression on his face. "I probably know Al better than he knows himself and there hasn't been a computer lock developed that I can't break." Sam wheeled out of the TARDIS, the Doctor at his side. The Accelerator Chamber was just down the hall and it took them no time to reach it. Sam pushed himself up from the chair and balanced himself against the wall, looking at the lock that Al had installed and grinned. "Child's play, Doctor," he said, and immediately began punching in codes. For each code he got correct, another popped up, but they were all quickly passed and the doors whooshed open.  
  
"This way," Sam said as he settled back into the chair and wheeled himself over to the far side of the room. "Inside this panel may be something you can use."  
  
The Doctor tried to open the panel but found that it was stuck. "I left the tools in the TARDIS, Sam. Do you think you could get them, while I see if I can get this off?"  
  
"No problem, Doctor. I'll be back in a few minutes." Sam left the room and headed down the hall to the TARDIS as the Doctor turned back to the panel in front of him. Within minutes he had it open and was checking out the different components to see if any of them could be used as a temporary replacement for the vacuum tube that had been destroyed.  
  
Sam entered the TARDIS, looking around for the Doctor's tools and saw them on the control counsel sitting right next to the lever that controlled the door. As he reached up for the tools, he hit the lever and the doors closed behind him. Sam was startled, but not worried. He had done that any number of times while helping the Doctor and knew that there wasn't a problem getting the doors open again. But when he reached for the lever, one of the tools dropped out of the bag and it landed on the take-off switch of the TARDIS. Sam watched, fascinated, as the column in the middle of the counsel began to slowly move in and up and down motion, the rods lighting up in an almost recognizable pattern. It was then that Sam realized what had happened. "Oh boy," he whispered. "Al's going to kill me this time for sure."  
  
Sam watched the column, mesmerized by the action there and wondered where and when he was going to land. The Doctor hadn't told him if the controls were set for a specific time and place or if they were on a random setting. He thought he knew how to program the TARDIS; he was pretty sure he had picked up that much from watching the Doctor work; he had just hoped that he would never have to test his theories. Sam decided right away that he wasn't going to attempt it while the TARDIS was in flight, but as soon as it landed, he would attempt to program it for Earth in the correct time. Maybe if he was lucky he would get back before anyone realized he was gone. Then again, maybe he would be trapped traveling through space and time and the Doctor and Peri would be trapped on Earth.  
  
*****  
  
Al pulled into the parking lot, a large grin on his face and a matching one on Peri's. Al got out of the car almost before he turned the motor off and gallantly opened the door for Peri and helped her out of the car. "Coming, my little lucky charm?" he said with a smile, kissing her hand before he released it.  
  
"But of course, big spender," Peri answered with a smile of her own. She was now dressed in a blue dress that showed off her figure to perfection, just as Al had known it would. Both had had an extremely satisfying weekend. Al had won big time at the tables, especially when Peri had been at his side. It was because of his large winnings that Peri had literally stuffed the trunk of his car full of new cloths. She was just glad that the TARDIS was so big, because she was going to need a lot of room for her new wardrobe.  
  
They walked arm in arm into the complex, heading towards the lab where they knew the Doctor and Sam would be hard at work on the TARDIS. They had just rounded a corner when Al noticed that the door to the Accelerator Chamber was wide open and he could hear noises coming from inside. His heart in his throat, he let go of Peri and dashed for the room, expecting to see Sam in a Fermi suit getting ready to Leap. Much to his relief, all he saw was the Doctor poking around in one of the side panels. He looked around, expecting to see Sam somewhere in the room, but he was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"Where's Sam, Doctor?" Al asked, the worry coming back into his voice. Perhaps Sam had already Leaped.  
  
"Hhmmm? Oh, hello, Admiral. Hi, Peri," he said to the young girl who had just entered the chamber. "He just went down to the TARDIS to get some tools that I need. I think this will do for a temporary replacement for the vacuum tube."  
  
"None of the tubes you had worked?" Peri asked, getting her first really close look at the Accelerator.  
  
"Afraid not, Peri. Did you have a good time in Vegas?" the Doctor asked absently, his attention going back to what he had been working on.  
  
"Fantastic!" Peri answered, but then noticed that the Doctor wasn't paying any attention to her. "I'll go see if I can help Dr. Beckett." Peri left the chamber and walked down the hall and was rather surprised to find out that the TARDIS had been removed from the main computer room. 'Well, he could have at least told me where he moved the TARDIS to before I came here,' Peri thought as she headed back to the Accelerator. "Doctor, where's the TARDIS?" she asked as she re-entered the room.  
  
"In the Control Room down the hall, Peri, where it's been ever since we got here," the Doctor answered, turning to look at her. "You've only been gone a few days, Peri. You couldn't have forgotten."  
  
"It's not there, Doctor." Peri noticed the worried look that had suddenly appeared on Al's face. "And neither is Dr. Beckett."  
  
The two men in front of her looked at each other suddenly and then made a mad dash for the Control Room. When they got there, they stopped dead, looking at the place where the TARDIS had stood only minutes before. They turned and looked at each other again, identical expressions on their faces and then, in unison, they said, "Oh, boy!"  
  
*****  
  
"I just knew it!" Al's yelling had brought more than half the staff that had arrived for work to the Control Room to find out what the problem was. "I should never have left him here with you and that damned machine of yours. At least when he was Leaping there was a way to get in contact with hi, but how do we make contact with a machine that could be anywhere and anywhen?!" The Doctor watched calmly as Al paced up and down, waving his hands and generally making a spectacle of himself.  
  
"Admiral, there is nothing we can do right now. What I would like to know is how he managed to get the TARDIS to leave." The Doctor had started to pace, unthinkingly mimicking Al's movements. "He shouldn't have been able to do that, no matter what he might have accidentally hit."  
  
"You were showing him how the damn thing worked so it's your fault, not mine." Al was bristling.  
  
"My fault, Admiral? How could it possibly be my fault?" The Doctor was getting uncharacteristically angry. Peri was backing up, frightened of the anger that was flowing between the two men. She had never seen the Doctor so upset and she realized that he was scaring her.  
  
"You allowed Sam to help you and I bet you even explained every damn thing you were doing as you did so." The Doctor nodded slowly, not understanding what the Admiral was getting at. "Sam has a photographic memory, Doctor, and he's been more than a little interested in that damned TARDIS of your ever since you got him back. Hell, it's probably like a dream come true for him."  
  
Al dropped into a chair, hands buried in his hands. Peri came over and wrapped her arms around Al from behind, offering what comfort she could. Al leaned back until his head lay against Peri's chest, his hands holding hers as tears began to form in his eyes. He had just gotten his friend back and to lose him now was hurting more than he wanted to admit to himself, or anyone else. Peri laid a soft kiss on Al's head as she watched the Doctor pace. She wanted to help the Admiral and the Doctor, but she didn't even know where to start.  
  
"Is there anything you can do, Doctor?" Peri asked, feeling Al's pain and missing Sam. She hadn't realized how much she liked Dr. Beckett and had gotten used to hearing him and the Doctor talking about the TARDIS and time travel. She felt Al's grip on her hands tighten slightly and held on to him a little more firmly, hoping to pass some of her strength on to him.  
  
The Doctor shook his head. "If I had the homing beacon, I may be able to locate him, but that still wouldn't enable me to contact him and tell him how to get back here."  
  
Al looked up, emotion barely held in check behind his dark eyes. "What about the neuro-link he and I have? Ziggy?" he called out to the computer.  
  
YES, ADMIRAL CALAVICCI, came the computer's calm voice.  
  
"Would you be able to center me on Dr. Beckett in the Imaging Chamber?" Al didn't hold out much hope, but any port in a storm.  
  
NO, ADMIRAL. THE LINK ONLY WORKS IF DR. BECKETT IS TRAVELING USING HIS THEORIES. THE QUANTUM ENERGY IS A VITAL PART OF THE LINK. Ziggy sounded sad. 'Missing daddy,' Al thought.  
  
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Peri asked, he own voice choking. She hated seeing the hurt expressions of the faces of both Al and the Doctor. It was now that she realized how much the TARDIS mean to the Doctor. Only silence answered her from the Doctor and Al's ragged breath as he fought to control the emotion he was feeling.  
  
To be continued…. 


	8. Part Eight The End

AN: I'd like to thank those who've written to me and/or reviewed this little story of mine, especially Harry2, who has been kind enough to make a comment on *every* chapter I've put up. I'm glad that you've enjoyed it. Or didn't, as the case may be. Either way, you took the time to read it and that makes this author happy.  
  
And now, on to the conclusion of The Three Doctors…  
  
***************  
  
***************  
  
Part Eight…  
  
The TARDIS had finally landed. Sam activated the view screen and was greeted by what seemed a rather ordinary landscape. The sun was just peaking out from behind rain-laden clouds and the air seemed clear. In the distance he could see what looked like smoke, but he couldn't be sure. He panned the camera to get a better look at the surroundings and was rather surprised to see another TARDIS sitting right next to the one he was in. Now that was the last thing he had expected to see.  
  
He opened the door and carefully wheeled himself out. The ground was not paved so he dared not go too far for fear of getting stuck in the muddy ground. From the door of the TARDIS he could clearly see that it was smoke in the distance and he could even smell it as the breeze blew in his direction. It was then that he noticed a man and young woman walking up the path towards the TARDISes. The woman was dripping wet and had her arm thrown casually around the man's waist. It was the man who caught Sam's attention.  
  
He was a short man, wearing a white hat and carrying an umbrella that had a distinctive question mark handle. The vest he was wearing was covered with the question mark motif and Sam guessed that maybe he was a Time Lord like the Doctor. He figured that the question mark was probably a common theme in all Time Lord cloths, remembering the suspenders and shirt collars of the Doctor. The problem was that Sam was sure that he had met the man before somewhere, but searching his memories he couldn't think of anyone who even slightly resembled the approaching man. The man looked up and started, staring at the two TARDISes and at Sam sitting in the doorway of one.  
  
"Do all your people travel in police boxes, Professor?" the young woman asked her companion. She had a very distinctive English accent that Sam found a little hard to understand.  
  
"Of course not, Ace," he replied with a slight Scottish accent. He held out his hand to Sam. "Hello, Dr. Beckett. It's good to see you again."  
  
"Have we met?" Sam took the hand and shook it, more than slightly bewildered. He was desperately trying to remember where he had met this man before and he was coming up with nothing. Perhaps his memory was still a little Swiss-cheesed from his time traveling.  
  
"In a manner of speaking, you just left me a little while ago, Sam, but I looked a little different then." He turned to the woman. "This is Ace and I am the Doctor."  
  
"But she called you 'Professor,'" Sam said, more than a little confused now. This man couldn't be the Doctor. Not even plastic surgery could change a man's height and this man was considerably shorter than the Doctor, not to mention that his voice had drastically changed.  
  
"Yes, I know," he said with a glare at her. "I've been trying to break her of that habit. Ace, why don't you go put on some dry cloths and fetch the maroon satchel from the wardrobe and bring it here."  
  
"Sure, Professor," she said with a quick smile and dashed into the other TARDIS; the Doctor just sighed and turned back to Sam.  
  
"This is probably going to be a little difficult for you to understand, but I really am the Doctor you met in 2002." The Doctor leaned against the side of the TARDIS, searching for an easy, quick way to explain about what happened. "My people have the ability to regenerate when the body is about to die. It involves a complete change in appearance, personality, many different things. Since I last saw you, I've done so twice. For you it's been, what, five minutes?" Sam nodded, trying desperately to understand what he was being told. "For me, it's been, well, a considerably longer period of time."  
  
"But this is the past. At least, I think it's the past, isn't it?" The Doctor crouched down next to Sam, much the same way he had when Sam had grieved for all those he had killed and that in itself almost convinced him that this was the Doctor that he hoped was still waiting for him back at Stallion's Gate.  
  
"Earth's past, yes. World War Two is happening right now and this is England. For me, it's the future, or at least my future for the me that you know."  
  
Sam's head was beginning to spin. He thought his own theory on time travel was complicated, but compared to what the Doctor was saying, the string theory was child's play. "So, for the Doctor I know, this is the future and what happened in New Mexico is the past for you?"  
  
"Exactly, Sam," the Doctor smiled. Sam just shook his head.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Dr. Beckett," Ace said as she emerged from the other TARDIS. "I've stopped trying to completely figure him out. Just accept it; it's easier." Ace handed a bag to the Doctor. "Is this what you wanted, Professor?"  
  
"Yes, thank you, Ace." The Doctor began rummaging around in the bag, searching for something that Sam had given him many years ago and would be giving him again in a few hours. "Here it is," the Doctor said, handing the object he had found to Sam. Sam immediately recognized one of the circuits from the Accelerator Chamber. "We'll put this in the TARDIS, the one you arrived in, that is. When you get back to the Project, don't forget to give me this."  
  
"Doctor, you are a very confusing person," Sam said, shaking his head. "I think my method of time travel is a lot easier. Only one of me and I don't think I've ever crossed my own time stream like you seem to do."  
  
"There are times that I agree, Sam," the Doctor answered. "Now, shall we install this little component so that you can get home?"  
  
"I'm not too sure I want to go back," Sam said, a rueful smile on his face. "Al is probably going to kill me once I get back." Sam could picture his friend, first yelling at the Doctor, blaming him for what happened, and then blaming himself. Sam promised himself that once he got back to the Project, he would dismantle the Accelerator so that Al would never have to worry about him taking off in time again.  
  
The Doctor smiled at his memory of what had and would happen. "He was a bit upset, but Peri helped a bit, and you weren't gone all that long, so he didn't really have a chance to fall into a very deep depression." The Doctor had opened the panel that Sam and the other Doctor had spent so much time poking around in. With careful movements, he put the new component in and closed the panel. "Better say good-bye, Ace. Dr. Beckett will be leaving soon, and so will we." The Doctor began setting some dials on the TARDIS preparing it to take Sam back to New Mexico in 2002.  
  
"Nice meeting you, Dr. Beckett," Ace said, shaking hands with Sam. "Maybe next time we'll get a chance to talk."  
  
"That would be nice, Ace," Sam answered her, taking her hand. "If you're ever in the area, feel free to stop in." Ace's smile lit up her face and she nodded as she left the TARDIS to enter the one she was traveling in.  
  
"All right, Sam," the Doctor was pointing to a switch on the counsel. "Once I've left, press this and it will take you back to the Project about a half-hour after you left. I want to make sure you don't meet yourself."  
  
"Thank you, Doctor," Sam said simply. "Do you mind if I ask you something?" The Doctor shook his head. "What happened to Peri?"  
  
"Why do you want to know?"  
  
"Al's rather fond of her, and I would like to know that she's okay. Although he probably won't ask, I know Al would like to know."  
  
The Doctor looked thoughtful, remembering back to the trial and the two different fates he'd seen for Peri, one leading to death, the other to what had appeared to be a happy life. He still wasn't sure which had been the true version, but he knew which one he'd want Al to think had happened. "She met and fell in love with someone we encountered in our travels. She ended up marrying him and, as far as I know, is very happy."  
  
"Thank you Doctor. Is there any message you'd like to send to yourself?" Sam couldn't help asking with a smile.  
  
The Doctor's look became distant, obviously remembering something painful. It past so quickly that Sam wasn't sure he had seen it. "None that I can think of, but thank you, Sam," the Doctor said, noticing Sam's interest in his expression and quickly masking it. "Now, I must be off. Take care." The Doctor shook Sam's hand and left the TARDIS. He stood outside it and watched as the doors closed behind him and then it disappeared. He smiled briefly and entered his TARDIS and soon it too had left England.  
  
*****  
  
Through a haze of emotion, Al heard the grinding of the TARDIS. The sound didn't register at first, but a sudden movement by the Doctor made him look up. Right in front of him, in the exact same spot where he had last seen it, the TARDIS was materializing. The light on the top flashed for a few more seconds and then the door opened. Sam stuck his head out the door tentatively. "Al?" he said quietly.  
  
Al stared at his friend, mouth open in astonishment. For about ten seconds they just stared at each other, then Al exploded. "Get out here, Samuel Beckett! RIGHT NOW!!!" Sam quickly complied. He knew that Al had been scared and the only way for him to get over that was to yell. Besides, Sam had scared himself and he really felt that a good Calavicci dressing down would make him feel better. Al started by calling him "Idiot!" and went on from there. Peri and the Doctor watched the two friends, one scolding at the highest volume he could manage, the other with a whipped puppy dog look on his face, quietly accepting the scold, and smiled. This proved more than anything that the two men shared a friendship that knew no bounds.  
  
When Al paused to take a breath, the Doctor managed to interrupt the tirade. "Sam, how did you manage to get the TARDIS back here?" He knew he had shown Sam many things, but how to set coordinates was not one of them.  
  
"I met you and you sent me back," Sam answered. "Oh, I almost forgot." Sam wheeled out of the room back to the Accelerator Chamber. After poking around in the open panel for a minute, he pulled out one of the components he found there, probably the exact same one that was now installed in the TARDIS. "Here," he handed it to the Doctor. "You'll need this. Please don't lose it or I'll never get back and you'll be stranded here." The Doctor gave Sam an odd look and then realized what Sam was saying.  
  
"You met me, wherever, and whenever, it was that you ended up?"  
  
"Yes, you and a young girl named Ace," Sam answered. "Nice kid and she seemed rather fond of you."  
  
"Enough, Sam," the Doctor said before Sam could go any further. "I really don't want to know my own future."  
  
"I understand." Sam smiled when he saw Al enter the chamber with Peri. He was motioning behind him and he saw that Al must have ordered a work crew. "What are they doing here, Al?"  
  
"Taking this thing apart," Al answered gruffly. "I've had enough of time travel, and so have you. And I'm making sure that you stay in one place." He turned to the Doctor. "Not that I don't enjoy your company, Doctor, and I really like having Peri around, but when are you leaving? It seems that the TARDIS is working and I don't want Sam going off on any more unscheduled trips."  
  
"I was thinking the same thing, Admiral. Peri, how long will it take you to put all your new cloths in the TARDIS?" he asked, turning to his young companion.  
  
"No time at all, Doctor," she answered. "I made sure it was all packed when Al and I left Vegas. I'll need maybe a half hour."  
  
"That soon enough for you, Admiral?" The Doctor knew the component that had been installed wouldn't last long and he remembered the planet where he had to go to get the correct type of sand to blow a new vacuum tube. It wasn't a very hospitable place, but if he wanted to continue his travels, he would have to make a stop at Androzani Minor.  
  
"Yes, thank you, Doctor," Al sighed with relief. "Come on, Sam, let these men do their work and we can say good-by."  
  
Sam and the Doctor were already doing that as they left the Accelerator Chamber. Al went with Peri to his car and helped her carry her new possessions into her room in the TARDIS. Soon, they, along with the Doctor, Verbena, Derek, Gooshie and many other members of the Project, were gathered in the Control Room, saying good-bye and thank you to the time traveler who had held to get their own time traveler back. There were tears on the part of Peri and Verbena as they said farewell. Peri gave Al a rather enthusiastic good-bye kiss, much to his delight, but when she turned and did the same to Sam, a frown crossed the Admiral's face, until he saw the blush creeping up the younger man's cheeks. He laughed and waved as the Doctor and Peri entered the TARDIS.  
  
Everyone stood back and watched the TARDIS dematerialize. They stood silently looking at the place where the TARDIS had been and then slowly went back to the many things that would wrap up Project Quantum Leap and began thinking of new projects that they could work on. Finally, only Al and Sam were left in the lab.  
  
"You know, Al, I don't know why, but I think the Doctor may be headed into trouble," Sam said softly, remembering the look the Doctor had on his face back in World War Two England. Al turned to the man next to him, a question on his face as he lit up a cigar. "When I met him when I accidentally took off in the TARDIS, he looked ... well, I don't know, but something was wrong."  
  
Well, there's nothing we can do about it now, kid," Al said, blowing out a puff of smoke. "Come on, we have a lot of work to do and you're not done with your debriefing or with your therapy. I want you out of that chair by the end of the month and Jason says I'm being generous giving you that much time." And then Sam and Al left the Control Room. Neither would ever find out the price the Doctor ended up paying for bringing Sam Beckett back to his own time.  
  
The End 


End file.
